An Indian yogi whose claims he spent decades without food or water earned him a band of devotees and the scepticism of doctors died Tuesday, his neighbour told AFP.

The long-haired and bearded Prahlad Jani — who dressed in red and wore a nose ring in the fashion of Hindu goddesses — hailed from Charada village in the western state of Gujarat, where he spent his life in a routine of yoga and mediation.

He was 90 based on his claim that he was born in August 1929.

“He died early Tuesday morning at his residence due to old age,” Sheetal Chaudhary, who lived next door to Jani, told AFP.

“He was rushed to hospital after midnight, but was declared dead on arrival by the doctors there.”